Advantages

Disadvantages

"You might feel a bit old"

Where is it?Youll find Fuel tucked away in the centre of Covent Gardens plaza. There are two entrances  one at street level and one at the bottom of the steps to the underground piazza, which takes you into the basement bar.

How do I get there?Its just a few minutes walk from Covent Garden tube station, but as its always horrendously busy around there, particularly at weekends, you may prefer to walk down from Charing Cross. Its just a short stroll along The Strand to Covent Garden.

Whats it like?This rabbit warren of a bar has bags of potential but its location slap-bang in the heart of tourist territory means it will always attract the post-match footie and rugby lads, as well as rookie young drinkers dipping their toes in the safer waters of Londons nightlife. However, in an area notoriously devoid of quality after-hours drinking dens, it does at least provide an alternative to the last tube home on a Saturday night. Its a safe compromise between bar and club with enough space to safely spend the evening there without getting claustrophobic but it inevitably gets packed and youll have to practise a few yoga moves to squeeze yourself into a buying position at the bar.

Anything else I should know?The £5 entry fee after 11pm may seem like a snip when youre gagging for another drink in a street providing few opportunities for one, but dont be too eager to hand over the money. If youre over 21 (the average age of the clientele is a lot les) and/or like your music to stick to just one genre in an evening then youre probably better off putting your wallet back in your pocket and heading for a proper club.

To sum it up:Great place for a central beer and a few cheesy dance moves, but get there before 11pm and dont plan your whole night around it.